Automobile signal



1,548,653 M. BORGLUM AUTOMOBILE SIGNAL Filed Jan. 28 1924 I. will! Patented Aug. 4, 1925 UNITED STTES PrEnr AUTOMOBILE SIGNAL.

Application filed January 28, 1924. Serial No. 689,117.

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, MILLER BoRoLUM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bakersfield, county of Kern, and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automobile Signals; and I do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it .appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to improve- .ments in automobile signals and has for an object to provide a peculiar and grotesque figure adapted to be mounted upon the vehiole in a conspicuous position in which the figure will have movable arms for indicating visually proposed changes in direction of the vehicle and-movable eye balls coordinated with the arms to shift in the same direction with the latter whereby to vary forcibly and in an odd striking way call attention to the signal and to the proposed change in direction.

Another object of the invention resides in providing a hollow figure for the movable arms as above described and the eye balls translucent with lamps within the hollow body for shining through the eye balls to add to the grotesqueness of the display particularly at night.

A further object of the invention consists in providing an improved compact coordinate mechanism for simultaneously actuating one of the arms and both the eyes, the eyes being turned in the direction of the displayed arm.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be more fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

. In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like. or corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is an elevation showing the interio'r of one section of the figure with the parts mounted therein.

a Figure 2. is a vertical section through the full figure at right angles to'Figure 1.

- Figure 3is a horizontal section taken onthe line 33 in Figure 2. Figure 4 is a similar section taken on the line 4-4 also in Figure 2, and

Figure 5 is a diminutive view showing one application of the figure to a vehicle windshield indicated in dotted lines.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 6 and 7 designate the two halfportions or sections composing a figure which may for instance, as illustrated, "be fashioned.

3 and 5 or in the dotted positionshown at The arms carry movthe right in Figure 1. able contacts 12 adapted to close against stationary contacts 18, mounted within thefigure, when the arms are in the raised position. The closing of these contacts is adapt ed to illuminate the lamp 14 mounted within the hollow head of the figure, the lamp being included in a circuit so that it will be closed when either set of armcontacts is closed.

The lamp in the head is adapted to illuminate the eye-balls 15 which are mounted in the eye sockets 16 in the head of the figure and pivoted to swing about the vertical axes 17. The eye balls are of glass or other appropriate translucent material and-have the colored or opaque pupils 18. The eyes are preferably large in order that they may be clearly seen and are preferably embellished with a bizarre coloring to attract attention.

Each eye ball is provided with a screw eye 19 projecting rearwardly to be engaged by the upstanding pin 20 on the opposite ends of the substantially horizontal bar 21. This bar 21 is carried by the substantially vertical rod 22 bent as shown in Figure 2 and projecting up from the sleeve 23 that is mounted to rotate about the pin 24 supported in the neck portion of the figure and lying in a substantially horizontal plane. An arm 25 is attached to the sleeve 23 and projects substantially vertically downward therefrom carrying at its lower end the armature 26 disposed between the two electromagnets 27 and 28. These'electro-magnets may be supported in any appropriate manner within the body of a hollow figure and in, the instance shown a septum 01'. diaphragm 29 is shown as mountedwithin the sections of the figure, at an intermediate point and the electro-magnets are carried directly upon this diaphragm. -The diaphragm also forms an appropriate support for the lamp 30 which projects down into the compartment below the diaphragm and is in substantial alinement with the windows 31 and 32 which may be of plain or colored glass. The sections of the figure may be secured together in any desired manner as by the screws 33 or the figure may be made in any other manner. v

The arms 8 and 9 are raised by the impact thereagainst of the rounded heads 34 which heads are formed upon the outer endsof the arms 35 which project in opposite directions from the intermediate portion of the vertical arm.25. The arms 35 are substan tially horizontal when in the normal intermediate position and this normal intermediate position is preserved bythe coil springs 36 which are secured at opposite sides of the vertical arm 25 and to appropriate parts of the figure. It will be noted that the inner ends of the arms 8 and 9 of the figure have relatively wideend portions in order that the rounded heads 34 may contact against appropriate fiat surfaces and. at a substantial distance from the pivot points 10 or 11 in order that the lifting movement may be made comparatively easy.

At 37 I have illustrated a source of current which may be the storage battery of the vehicle uponwhich the signal is mounted. The parts are wiredv appropriately and switches 38 and 39 may be provided to selectively and independently energize either of the electro-magnets 27' or 28. One of these switches may be placed to one side and the other to the other side of the steering wheel and when a turn is to be negotiated in one direction, the switch on that side is closed which results in the energizing of the respective electro-magnet and the raising of the proper arm of the figure to signal other drivers; this being accomplished by the attraction of the armature 26 to the energized magnets and consequently the thrust of the arm rounded head against the companion arm. This movement of the armature and arm is accompanied by a similar movement of the eye balls 15, these eye balls being swung back and forth about the pivot points 17 as for instance indicated in dotted lines in Figures 1 and 4. It will be appreciated that the eye movement is co-ordinated with that of the arms and that an attractive signal is displayed. 1

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and design of the above specifically described embodiment of this invention, without departing from the .spirit thereof, such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of the following claims.

What'isclaimed is 1. An automobile signal comprising a figure having movable arms and eyes, a coselectively and for also shifting t e eyes in the direction of the raised arm.

3. An automobile signal comprising a hollow figure, eyes-pivoted in said 'figure and being of translucent material with colored pupils, movable arms attached to the figure, and means for lifting either arm selectively, and also for shifting the eyesin the direction of the moved arm. 4:. An automobile signal comprising a figure, movable arms thereon, eyes pivoted for lateral movement in the head of the figure, a diaphragm in the body portion of the figure, means forlifting either arm selectively, and means 'for shifting the eyes when either arm is raisedi i 5. An automobile signal comprising a hollow figure, pivoted arms thereon, pivoted 1 eyes in the head of the figure, swinging arms having rounded heads adapted to engage the same, means to keep said actuatin arms in a central neutral vposition, means or selectively shiftingfs'aid actuating arms in either direction and means moving simultaneouslyrwith said actuating arms and by said selective means for partially rotating.

said eye balls 6. An automobile signal comprising a hollow figure, eye balls pivoted in the head of the figure, illuminating means in the head of the figure, arms pivoted at the side of the either direction, and a rod moving with said 3 arms and means havin COIIHBCtlOIltO said figure.

MILLER BORGLUM,

rod to shift the eye bal s in the head of the 95 against the arms of the figure for elevating 

